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  • Joel Balsam

    Joel Balsam is a freelance journalist and travel guidebook writer with words in National Geographic, TIME, The Guardian, Lonely Planet and BBC.
Boss Catches Employee Cooking Rice in the Office - A Conversation With Him Reveals What He Actually Does His Salary
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Boss Catches Employee Cooking Rice in the Office - A Conversation With Him Reveals What He Actually Does His Salary

Malaysian entrepreneur Azri Walter was surprised when he saw his employee cooking rice at the office, so he posted it on Facebook.Azri thought he paid his employee, named Habil, enough -- about $240 that week in the local currency. That should be enough to feed himself lunch at the very least.Doing It for His MotherHabil explained that his paycheck wasn't going to himself, but rather, to his mother -- though she never asked for help (these strong women quotes will help you understand)."She didn't ask, but I feel bad for her. If I give her the money, she can use it to buy food and clothes for herself, as well as for my siblings," Habil explained, according to Says.Habil's father died when he was just 19 years old, and he had to move to the big city of Kuala Lumpur to feed his family (read these moving quotes about family).Touched by Habil's story, Azri treated his employee to dinner a few days later. While they ate, Habil explained that he has no regrets about what he was doing.It's okay, sir. I do not know how much longer my mum will be around. While she's still here, I want to make her happy. I don't have anyone else to look after, so it's fine. After all, I'm good at making money on my own now.HabilDon’t Be Afraid to Give BackAzri said in the Facebook post that Habil's story taught him a valuable lesson. "Tonight I learned that we shouldn't be stingy with our parents, especially our mothers," he wrote. "We shouldn't be afraid to give money back to our mothers because God will always provide. To be blessed, we should treat our mothers well."Habil is right. Our mothers gave us everything that they could give when we were younger. Now that we are older, they may even give us things that we do not ask for.Azri WalterMothers Deserve ItThe lesson here is that not everyone's life situation is as it seems. Just because someone looks like they're making a good amount of money, it doesn't mean they aren't supporting loved ones or giving it away to worthy causes. And yes, it's also a reminder to take care of our mothers while they're still around. You and I both know how much they deserve it.More from Goalcast:Boss Thinks Man Is Joking When He Said He Walked 6 Hours to Get To Work – Then a Stranger Makes an Offer He Can’t RefuseStruggling Employee Reveals the Bitter Truth About His Job to Undercover Boss – He Responds by Giving Him a $250,000 HouseUndercover Boss Notices Abusive Manager Is Making an Employee Sob – Steps in With a Response That Leaves Everyone Shocked

Shaq Finds Out One Big Family Was Growing Out of Their 12-Person Van - So He Did Something Unbelievable
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Shaq Finds Out One Big Family Was Growing Out of Their 12-Person Van - So He Did Something Unbelievable

Shaquille O'Neal, a.k.a. the Big Diesel, a.k.a. Shaq, made a pledge last year. Every time he leaves the house, he would try to do something good.“I’m into making people happy. Whenever I leave the house, I just try to do a good deed,” he said.Recently, that good deed manifested as buying an engagement ring for a guy who was shopping for one and giving out 1,000 game consoles for Christmas. A couple of weeks ago, Shaq outdid himself yet again with another unbelievably generous gift.Shaq Took a Family of 11 to Dinner and Bought Them 2 New VehiclesHis good deed started off by taking a family with 9 kids out for dinner (got a big family? Read these family sayings). Feeding that many children and parents is undoubtedly going to cost a pretty penny, but that was just the beginning.Upon learning that the family was growing out of their 12-person van, he took them to a Mercedes dealership and bought them a custom 15-passenger van. "I have no words right now!!! Today Shaq @shaq blessed us like never before," said the Collins family on Instagram. "Like literally no words."Shaq Then Tipped a Waitress $1000 After He Learned About Her Car Trouble But that wasn't the end of it. Shaq also bought them all out for dinner at Rainforest Café and tipped the waitress $1,000 as she was experiencing car trouble. Then, he bought the father a brand new Ford truck because the A/C and heating weren't working in his old one."He also spent time encouraging us and loving on our children and speaking life into our family," the family wrote. "Somebody wake me up because I must be dreaming."Thank you @shaq times a million times!!! You have been such a blessing to us in so many ways.The Collins familyShaquille O’Neal Revealed His Parents Inspired Him to Give BackSpeaking with Gary Vaynerchuk on The Gary Vee Audio Experience podcast, Shaq said this urge to give to others came from his parents."You know for me, coming from where I come from, my father was a drill sergeant, my mother just was a hard-working woman. Didn't have a lot. But they taught me the value of giving back. They taught me the value of helping those in need," Shaq said.So a huge thank you to Shaq's parents, but a special thanks to the big man himself for showing us that kindness knows no bounds.More from Goalcast:Neighbors Call Police on Boys for Playing “Too Loudly” – Shaquille O’Neal Finds Out and Shows Up to Do ThisShaq Visits His Favorite Restaurant With an Unusual Request – Then, He Shocks the Watchful Owner With a SurpriseYoung Boy Sobs in the Middle of a Store – Little Did He Know Shaquille O’Neal Was About to Teach Him a Lesson

62-Year-Old Homeless Man Is Forced to Sleep in a Cardboard Box - But One Discovery Changes His Life
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62-Year-Old Homeless Man Is Forced to Sleep in a Cardboard Box - But One Discovery Changes His Life

John Helinski, 62, had spent years living on the streets. In particular, a cardboard box at a Tampa Bay bus stop. "I just managed on my own. Sleeping underneath the benches there and no one would see me (sic)," Helinski said.That's where homeless liaison officer Daniel McDonald found him and brought him to the Drug Abuse and Comprehensive Coordinating Office Inc. (DACCO), a 24-hour centre for helping disadvantaged people find housing (check out these motivational quotes to help you rise above any dilemma you may face).Officers Track Down the Homeless Man’s Lost Identification PapersMcDonald didn't just stop there. He helped Helinski track down his lost identification papers. “As a homeless liaison officer, the bread and butter of my work often involves hopping department to department trying to help homeless people find the ID they need in order to get things like work and housing,” McDonald told ABC. “We’re uniformed cops with police cars, but we want homeless people to trust us,” he added. “Our job is not to arrest someone. It’s to help them. Homeless people are still accountable to the law, but they’re now starting to see we can be trusted, and this new model and field of policing is gaining popularity very quickly, I think.”A Forgotten Bank Account With Plenty of Money Is DiscoveredAt DACCO, case manager Charles Inman worked with McDonald to track down Helinski's papers. Helinski mentioned that he was born in Poland, but was a U.S. citizen and recalled having social security payments which was canceled.So Inman and McDonald worked together to go to the local tax collector's office and got him a temporary State of Florida ID card. Then, they successfully got Helinski's birth record from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs.With those two documents, they went to the Social Security office to ask why Helinski wasn't receiving payments. It turned out he had, though he had lost his debit card and had no access to the bank account the money was being deposited into.How Two Officers Made It Their Mission to Save a Man From HomelessnessWhen Helinski finally got into his account, he had plenty of money in there -- enough to put a down payment on a modest home.Inman and McDonald said they were very happy Helinski would be off the streets.This situation looked really difficult, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end up. If it failed, it meant we’d put a 62-year-old man on the street, and Officer McDonald and I were not OK with that.Charles Inman to ABC NewsWhat's the difference between someone living on the street and someone in a home? Often, especially in America, it's bad luck -- and that's what happened here. What this story proves is that, sometimes all that's needed to turn a life around is a helping hand.More from Goalcast:White Castle Employee Feeds a Homeless 16-Year-Old Down on Her Luck – Years Later, She Decides to Get Married ThereSingle Mom of 6 Has Struggled With Homelessness – So High School Students Plot Together and Come Up With a PlanCouple Notices Homeless Man in Wheelchair Struggling to Get Up a Hill – They Didn’t Know Their Next Move Would Change His Life

Plumber in $10,000 Debt Refuses to Charge Elderly Woman for His Services - But Then She Receives a Receipt From Him
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Plumber in $10,000 Debt Refuses to Charge Elderly Woman for His Services - But Then She Receives a Receipt From Him

James Anderson is a father, a plumber, and to many in the United Kingdom, a "godsend."In 2017, Anderson closed his private business and devoted himself entirely to helping disabled and elderly people with their plumbing issues -- for free (with that said, here are some kindness quotes).Why a Plumber Didn’t Charge an Elderly WomanAnderson made the decision to entirely commit to not-for-profit work when a receipt that was posted online went viral. It showed that he charged a 91-year-old woman with acute leukemia £0 for the job."No charge for this lady under any circumstances," he wrote, as shared by Metro UK. "We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible."Why One Man Isn’t Worried About Being in $10,000 DebtTo do this saintly work, Anderson has gone into £8,000 of debt -- but he isn't too worried about it."To me, debt is debt… I would rather owe some money to somebody and another person be alive and happy and safe," he told Metro UK (Here's how to get out of debt).It’s an ethos that’s in my heart and it will always stay there.James AndersonWhy One Plumber Is Being Called a ‘Godsend'To pay for his supplies and costs, Anderson launched a fundraising campaign that pulled in £49,309 over the 42 days it was live.During the campaign, he filmed heartwarming videos with some of the people he helped, including this one:Anderson's work might not be as popular as supporting those impacted by war or hunger, but it's necessary nonetheless. "I don’t want any person who is elderly and disabled in this country, in this day and age, to die or suffer because of a cold home or a lack of funding to repair the boiler," he said. "It shouldn’t be happening -- that number should be down to zero. Simple as that."Help Others in Unexpected WaysThere is a serious problem in our society when disabled people and our elders -- our moms and dads, sisters and brothers -- don't have enough money to fix their broken toilets or showers. Sadly, without someone like a child to look after them, these people can be forgotten.Fortunately, the world still has people who use their skills for good, like James Anderson did. The lesson here is to help someone in need -- it can really mean the world to them.More from Goalcast:Frail Elderly Woman Dines All Alone at Cracker Barrel – Then, Strangers Witness Three “Big Burly” Men Walk Up to HerConstruction Worker Waves at Elderly Woman Looking Through a Window – Later, She Writes Him a Note That “Crushed” HimBus Driver Suddenly Stops While on Her Usual Route – Surprised Passengers Witness the Exchange She Has With an Elderly Woman

Dad Comes Up With a Plan After Finding Out Some Students Are Denied Lunch at School - John Legend Also Steps in to Help
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Dad Comes Up With a Plan After Finding Out Some Students Are Denied Lunch at School - John Legend Also Steps in to Help

According to the nonprofit Feeding America, 1 in 6 children go hungry across America.This can manifest itself as a child going to school without breakfast or whose parents can't afford to buy their lunch.Children Denied LunchWhen Jeffrey Lew heard about how students can be denied lunch -- or even humiliated -- if their parents don't keep up with payments, he was appalled."[I was] reading up and watching the national media of the lunch shaming crisis -- how other schools have tossed the lunch because a kid did not have enough money or stamped on the arm saying, 'I owe lunch money,'" Lew told ABC News. Just from hearing that news coverage it kind of broke my heart as a father. I can't imagine having one of my children coming home from school saying, 'Hey, I was denied lunch because I owed money.'Jeffrey Lew to ABC NewsFundraising to Help StudentsAt Lew's son's school, there was an outstanding debt of $97.10 -- nearly $100 that could make the difference between a child going hungry or having a quality lunch as Lew said students who couldn't pay would still get fruit and milk.So, the father of three did something about it. "I think parents are so busy in their work life and different things where they forget to send their children to school with lunch money...there could be parents that are in a tough financial situation that we don't know about and can't afford it," Lew told ABC News. We just don't know what these kids or families are going through. No kid should go hungry regardless if they have money or not.Jeffrey LewHe set up a GoFundMe to pay the school's lunch debt -- but he didn't stop there. In just five days, Lew raised over $23,000 -- enough to pay the lunch debt at 90 schools in Seattle. Even singer John Legend donated $5,000 to help further the cause. Since surpassing the original goal, Lew decided to raise $50,000 to erase the lunch debt in neighboring districts. Be the ChangeThe world is filled with injustices -- we read about them on the news every day. And there are many, many things that stay the same. But sometimes, there are things we have the power to change.This father noticed injustice in his community and took the necessary action to fix it. But then something extraordinary happened. One relatively small act of kindness ballooned into something bigger to the point that it got national attention.It just goes to show that if you put your mind to helping others, even with a small gesture, it can make a huge difference.More from Goalcast:12-Year-Old Reaches Hotel to Have Lunch – Is Shocked to Find Out Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Has Taken on a “New Job”Southern Church Notice That Kids in Their Community Are Going Hungry at School — So They Pay Off Lunch Debt for the Whole Community8-Year-Old Upset When Friend Is Denied Hot Lunch – What He Does Next Teaches All of Us an Important Lesson

Woman Sitting Alone at Station at 1 AM Refuses to Get on Bus - Driver Immediately Realizes Something Is Wrong
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Woman Sitting Alone at Station at 1 AM Refuses to Get on Bus - Driver Immediately Realizes Something Is Wrong

Being a bus driver can be a thankless job. People expect them to work at all hours of the night when driving their route can be dangerous. And they also have to deal with unruly people.Woman Refused to Get on the BusThe story revolved around Ottawa OC Transpo bus driver Dan Stoddard who was driving his regular Wednesday night shift. At around 1 a.m., Stoddard stopped the bus for a woman sitting at a bus station, but she refused to get on."She waved me off, but I hesitated to leave as it was 1 a.m. and it seemed unlikely she was just there hanging out," Stoddard told HuffPost Canada.Driver Whisked the Victim AwayStoddard kept the bus stopped as he talked to the woman to make sure she was okay. Eventually, she asked him to call the police as she had just been assaulted and had run away. In response, the quick-thinking driver asked her to get on the bus and he would handle the rest.When she was on the bus, Stoddard asked the other passengers to move to the back as he comforted her until police arrived.Thanked for a ‘Thankless Job'A photo of the driver talking to the victim at the front of the bus was posted on Facebook by passenger Brendan Fowlie, and it went viral. The story resonated with people everywhere as it showed humanity in an unexpected profession."[Bus drivers] have a pretty thankless job, and people very rarely give them the credit they deserve," Fowlie told HuffPost Canada.Fowlie went on to explain that he decided to share the story because "I thought something positive would be nice."As for Stoddard, he said he was simply doing his job, like any other public service employee is trained to do."All of these organizations deal with this type of thing on a daily basis," he said.Keep Your Eyes and Ears OpenThis bus driver could have just kept driving his route. He's on the clock and it's not his job to insist people get on the bus if they decline.But he knew something wasn't right. He followed his gut and it turned out the woman was in need of help after being assaulted.This story is a reminder not just of the value in bus drivers, but also for all of us to keep our eyes and ears open to help the victims inevitably around us. More from Goalcast:Bus Driver Suddenly Stops While on Her Usual Route – Surprised Passengers Witness the Exchange She Has With an Elderly WomanMom Finds Out Her Son Constantly Gets Into Trouble and Has Befriended the Bus Driver – So She Writes a Letter to the School BoardBus Driver Spots Two Little Kids Wandering in the Bitter Cold Without Coats – Takes Immediate Action

Dominos Driver Delivers $1,300 Instead of Chicken Wings to Customer - What He Does With the Money Is a Reminder to All
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Dominos Driver Delivers $1,300 Instead of Chicken Wings to Customer - What He Does With the Money Is a Reminder to All

When a California man ordered wings from Domino's, he did not expect his order to be anything but normal.Mike Vegas had ordered the wings, in addition to a pizza, and had eaten just one slice before putting the rest of the food in the fridge."I ordered some pizzas and I thought I was going to have the day off. I was going to sit at home and enjoy my relaxation," Vegas told ABC News in the 2015 story.The Delivery Driver Couldn’t Reach HimVegas was busy working, so he didn't realize that someone had been trying to reach him for several hours."My phone started blowing up and I wasn't looking at the random messages. I was at work so I wasn't answering," he said.The calls came from the driver who had delivered his food; he had decided to stash some cash in a wings box before heading to the bank. Clearly, he had forgotten that he had put the cash there and had ended up delivering it to his final customer of the night."About 5 a.m., I got home from work and went to my refrigerator and pulled out what I thought were wings. It turned out to be 1,300 bucks," Vegas added.A Moral DilemmaVegas then took to Facebook to crowdsource his dilemma."I wrote a Facebook post and of course there's a long list of people arguing you should keep it, you shouldn't keep it, you should keep it, you shouldn't keep it," he told ABC News. I wanted to keep it, believe me. But I can't, I can't do [that].Mike VegasVegas decided to return the cash, and Domino's Pizza General Manager Zia Mumtaz was grateful."Thank you so much for this, honest people are hard to find these days," Mumtaz said.To show his gratitude, Mumtaz offered Vegas a gift. "Just to thank you, we're going to offer you free pizza for a whole year," he said.Apparently, that's an offer Vegas couldn't refuse. "I'm going to have to start working out more, obviously," he joked.Honesty Is KeyWe all know that accidents are fairly common. But in those times of panic -- like how the delivery driver was feeling -- it is easy for us to fear the worst.Fortunately, Vegas was an honest person who decided to do the right thing. And I'm willing to wager that he isn't the only one who would return the money if faced with a similar situation as most people are kind.More from Goalcast:Family Is Shocked to See 72-Year-Old Fall While Delivering Their Pizza – So They Take Her Career Into Their Own HandsThe Founder of Little Caesars Pizza Has Paid Rosa Parks’ Rent for Decades – AND He Kept It a SecretDelivery Man Sees a High-Speed Chase and Runs to Stop It – All Without Dropping His Pizza

No One Visits Lonely Elderly Couple for Months - Hearing Their Cries, a Neighbor Calls the Police
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No One Visits Lonely Elderly Couple for Months - Hearing Their Cries, a Neighbor Calls the Police

Seniors across the world are suffering from a second pandemic — loneliness. But a couple of police officers in Italy had the perfect remedy for one couple in their 80s and 90s.Desperate for Human ConnectionNo one had visited 84-year-old Jole and 94-year-old Michele in months. Meanwhile, all they saw on TV was stories of war and abuse — and this was well before the COVID-19 pandemic and increase in extreme weather events seen in the last couple of years. So, they cried out of desperation. So much so, that a neighbor called the police."It is not always an easy life," police wrote about the incident in a 2016 Facebook post reported by the Independent. "Especially when the city is empty and the neighbours are away on vacation. Sometimes the loneliness melts into tears. Sometimes it's like a summer storm. It comes suddenly and overtakes one.""Jole and Michele, they love each other. But when the loneliness is a burden on the heart, it may happen that they lose hope," the statement continued. "Can happen, like this time, that they scream so loud in their despair that, in the end, somebody calls the state police."A Dollop of HumanityFour officers identified as Andrea, Alessandro, Ernesto, and Mirko responded to the call, but instead of dismissing their loneliness, they did something remarkable — they made them dinner. Pasta with parmesan to be exact."There isn't a crime. Jole and Michele are not victims of scams, as often happens to the elderly and no burglar came in the house. There's no one to save," continued the post. "This time, for the boys flying over, there is a more difficult task to perform. There are two lonely souls to reassure."According to the statement, the police asked for permission to access the pantry and improvise dinner."A bowl of pasta with butter and cheese. Nothing special. But with a precious ingredient: inside it is humanity."Questura di RomaThere’s a Cure for LonelinessWhile this story occurred a few years ago, it's no less relevant today. So many people, especially seniors, suffer from loneliness. The issue even prompted a grocery store chain in the Netherlands to make "chat registers" so employees can visit lonely customers. But this pandemic has a cure. We must be kind and check in on our elders, whether they're family or otherwise. How? Stop for a chat if you see them on the street. Volunteer. Give seniors you know a call more frequently. Or, maybe, make someone a pasta dinner.More from Goalcast:Uber Driver Takes a Look at Lonely Elderly Passenger’s Living Conditions – Decides to Give Him More Than Just a LiftWoman’s Heart Is Shattered When Her Husband Abandons Her for His Lover – Even Then, She Still Takes Care of His Elderly DadTeens Approach Elderly Man When They Think No One Is Watching – Little Did They Know What Would Happen Next

Rich Widower Shocks Relatives by Leaving $276,000 to Hotel Bellboy After His Death - Has a Heartwarming Reason Why
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Rich Widower Shocks Relatives by Leaving $276,000 to Hotel Bellboy After His Death - Has a Heartwarming Reason Why

Charles George Courtney worked hard and played hard. In his career, the British man was a manager at a brewery that supplied the Wimbledon tennis tournament. He also loved to drink whiskey and party, according to his longtime friend Terry Aplin, who was interviewed by The Daily Mail.He Lived Life to the FullestPhoto by cottonbro studioWhen Courtney's wife died after 50 years of marriage, he continued to live life to the fullest, traveling to Turkey three times a year to stay at Korumar Hotel De Luxe in the Kusadasi district of Aydin.When on holiday at the seaside resort, he was treated like royalty from the moment he arrived, from being picked up at the airport in a 4x4 to getting his own designated room (401) and his favorite table every single time."Whenever he went to Turkey, he was like part of their family. He had no children of his own and they would call him godfather. They would give him a badge with his name on it," Aplin said.The hotel was like a second home for him and sometimes he would go three times a year because he loved the place and the people.Terry AplinHe Appreciated the ‘Son He Never Had'But Courtney treated the hotel staff like more than just employees. Every time he'd go, he'd pay for extra luggage on the flight to bring them chocolates and gifts. Courtney was especially fond of bellboy Taskin Dasdan who'd worked at the hotel for over 30 years."At the hotel, we treat everyone equally, we treat them as family, not as tourists," Dasdan told the Beyez Gazete.According to Aplin, Courtney, who regretted not having children, treated Dasdan like "the son he never had," and helped the Turkish man pay for his children's education.In return, Dasdan would invite Courtney to dinner at his house to meet his wife and children."They were like his family too," Aplin added.An Unexpected Gift for Hotel StaffWhen Courtney died at the age of 87, he didn't forget his friends in Turkey. As his distant relatives opened up his will, they were shocked to see that the majority of his fortune — earned from his career, his wife's pension from a job at the Bank of England, and by living frugally — was to be given to Dasdan and other staff at the hotel.It's unknown how much money Dasdan received, but it was believed to be £200,000 ($276,000). Enough money that Dasdan said he would never need to work again.But he still chose to return to work. Why? He told the Beyez Gazete he loves his job because it gives him the opportunity to meet people from all around the world. Kind people like Courtney.Back at the hotel, they officially named room 401 "Charlie's Room" after the British man they adored, and who adored them back.Never Stop LivingWhen you're retired, I'm sure (though I don't know yet) that it can be easy to spend the rest of your life looking in the rearview mirror — at the career you had, your travels, and the good times with your family. But what Courtney did was refuse to stop living. He built new friendships and appreciated people that others might overlook. Sure, his distant relatives might have been angry they didn't leave more money to them. But at the end of the day, it's his money and what to do with it is completely up to him. More from Goalcast:Rich Actor Finds Little Boy in Dumpster and Invites Him Over to Her House for Christmas – He Ends Up Completely Changing Her LifeMom Asks Noisy Teens in Hotel Room to Quiet Down – Later, They Slip a Surprising Note Under Her Door